Not as good as the Oscars (but still pretty cool)

I think the last time I checked, I had like 23 followers.  I always thought that was pretty cool.  There are that many people that even every once in awhile want to know what is going on in my life.  Sweet!

Well one of those people, Kirsten at I Still Hate Pickles nominated me as one of her top 15 Versatile Blogs.  Thanks Kirsten!!!  Wow.  Never knew I was versatile.  I had to go look it up to make sure that I was living up to her thoughts of me.  

Anyways, now I get to nominate.  And if you are nominated and would like to participate (no pressure) there are a few rules.

• Give a shout out or thank you to the person who nominated you (yeah Kirsten!)
• Include a link to get to their blog (see above)
• Pick 15 of your favorite blogs that you follow, or have recently discovered and nominate them
• Tell the cool cat that nominated you 7 interesting things that make you YOU!

I wish that I could hand out little trophies to all my favorite blogs as an honorable mention, so please know that if you did not make the cut, you still rock.  And are versatile.  

1. Someday Crafts
2. MoneySavingMom
3. I Still Hate Pickles
4. A Slob Comes Clean
5. Sun Scholars
6. Reflections
7. All In-The Good The Bad The Ugly
8. Every Day's A Blessing
9. Finger Lickin' Good
10. Kate O Lynch
11. Michelle Sings
12. Passport Diaries
13. Sara's Art House
14. Luke and Amber Saugier (private)
15. Confessions of a Homeschooler

And if you are still reading...here are 7 things about me :)

1.  I LOVE Cadbury eggs.  I buy them and usually eat one a day till Easter.  And the only way that I eat them is by splitting it open and licking out the "goo" first and then eat the empty halves.  Maybe I should go get one now...
2. I still have a phobia about licking envelopes (since that urban legend came out when I was in like junior high about roaches being able to lay eggs in your tongue), so I always put water on my finger and then get it wet that way.
3. If given the opportunity, I would move overseas.  
4. I cannot handle silence.  It makes me nuts.  I have to be talking, listening to music, fan running at night, etc.  It makes my family a little crazy.
5. I let my kids watch tv.  Sometimes every day.  Oops.
6. I eat healthy so that I can eat desserts.  And make desserts.  And dream about desserts.  Spinach + steamed cauliflower = a cookie a dozen (wow, two of my seven were about food)
7. I wish I was a ballerina.  I am a tom-boy to the max, but always wanted to be a dancer.  I quit when I was ten because she said I was not ready for toe-shoes.  I regret it.

Target SCORE!

Not sure all of these deals are still available, but if you like Target and toys, then here are some great deals I got this week.  I got all of this, plus one more 24 pack of playdough (not shown) for 50$.  If you cannot see, that is counting organic apples and eggs (10$) and pants and a shirt!

For example, I got the Chutes and Ladders for 1.97$, regularly 7.97$!!!  Because Target takes manufactures and store coupons, you can combine them.  So I got one M coupon HERE and a Target coupon HERE and combined them to take a total of 6$ off!

And the clothes up there even had coupons.  Target rocks for this reason.  They have coupons even for fresh produce and milk occasionally.  If you have questions, let me know!

DIE!!!

I am all for animal rights.

I am even known to let moths out of my front door instead of smooshing them.  Or swerving out of the way to avoid hitting a frog on the road.

By my tolerance ends at fruit flies.  And they are taking over my kitchen.  They are making babies by the millisecond and it HAS TO STOP.

So...goodbye little flies.

I got this idea HERE and so far have caught seven...muahaha

Life...is really such a blessing

It just feels like things are NUTS right now. Another friend of mine just posted a similar thing that she and so many others are going through some crazy stuff. I have to remind myself to count my blessings and remember all the good things that God has, and continues to do.

It definitely makes me more grateful for these little men...

Lessons from Science Fiction

Blaine and I watched a movie last night called "In Time" (at least that is what I think it was called...I've been up too long today already :)  It was about how the human race was now genetically engineered to only live to be 25.  At that point, they had one year to live thereafter unless they earned more or someone else shared some of theirs.  If your clock runs out, you die.  Immediately.

Ok movie.  Bad acting and very predictable.  But that is not what I am writing about.

There is a scene early on when the main character (who just so happens to be Justin Timberlake, so if THAT is your kind of thing, he does take his shirt off) is talking to a woman who has hundreds of years of time and he asks her...

"So does it not bother you that every day there are people dying around you?"

She replies with..."I just close my eyes."

When I heard it, it made me a little mad, but its a movie, and of course it all worked out and I did not really think about it again.

But then this morning it hit me.

I am the woman. You are probably the woman too.  If you are not, you are doing something I would like to learn.

People die every day without hearing about Jesus.  No.  I cannot be all over the world and tell everyone. And YES, God is completely sovereign.  But after looking at those two things, I am still left with my part.

How am I, how are WE as Christians doing our part?  In the movie (spoiler alert), they basically do everything they can to distribute time to everyone so that everyone can live a long full life.  There are people who are keeping too much time, and people dying because they have none.

Obviously our goal is to spend eternity with Christ.  It's just a movie.  And not even a really good one at that.  But I do not want to close my eyes.  I want to be ever conscious that there is a lost and dying world all around me, and I HAVE TIME that I can share with them, time to spend forever with Jesus.

Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God to bring salvation to everyone who believes."

God, please open our eyes...

Trying to Keep with Tradition (warning, picture HEAVY)

In Texas there is this tradition to take pictures of your kids in front of bluebonnets.

We have never done this (probably because I know my kids and heat and bugs and low blood sugar), and so we ventured to do it with our friends, Kirsten and her two boys.  Thanks guys, we had fun!

Here are the out-takes, and the few good pictures from the bunch.  This was with lots of bribery, candy, yelling, and ants :)  Well, and also kisses at the end :)

Extra time

I thought I would give you a little update on what God has been doing with this Place at the Table journey I've been on for a week weeks.  Read HERE if you don't know what I'm talking about.

It started off as one thing, but really morphed into me not cooking as much, and giving up spending lots of time looking up recipes.  I realized that food had become an idol in my life and I was spending WAY too much time making it, doing dishing because of it, and sometimes hours finding a new recipe to try.

I even found that my kids were expecting a different breakfast every morning, and I had fed that expectation.  I was getting frustrated, but it was me who had even made it an option in the first place.  I mean, it sounds like such a great thing to make pancakes, eggs and toast with apple butter, and muffins for your kids, instead of...dun, dun dun...cereal (gasp).  But you know what?  They like cereal.  And they are still alive and kicking when they eat it every morning.

When I started realizing that most people around the world, especially the poorer countries, will sit down to breakfast, lunch, AND dinner with the same foods every day, it really has changed the way I see it all.  And then it has freed me up to clean more (something I have never felt that I had enough time to do), be with my family more, and spend more time with God.  It is amazing when we are willing to give up one thing, God opens the floodgates to give us something else.  And it is ALWAYS better than what we gave up.

Now don't get me wrong, I still LOVE to cook, and really want to bless my family and friends that way, BUT I want to find a balance and also remember what a blessing it is that I can choose something different to eat anytime I want to.

Sure makes those Cadbury eggs I've been devouring seem even more precious :)  Dang you, Cadbury eggs...but that's another story.

Happy Late Birthday

My sweet little Hudson turned three, yes THREE this week!  I'm a late in posting, but I just wanted to put up a few pics.  He is a total ham, a joy, super stubborn, would play with cars all day if I let him, and full of life!!!

Time to stop nursing and hit the buffet table.

 (Thanks Kirsten for taking the pic)

I'll get you R the gift card when I see you next :)

Whoever said...

...parenting gets easier was lying.

Or maybe no one ever said that.

Maybe it was just me thinking it :)

All that to say, we are in limbo (well, let me re-phrase, Blaine is not), about school.  Kindergarten that is.

To homeschool, or not to homeschool, that is the question.

Bleh.